


Aftermath

by opal_libra



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crimson Flower Route, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_libra/pseuds/opal_libra
Summary: “You don’t know,” said Linhardt. “There’s no way you could know.”“What’s-”“You were dead.”There was a beat of silence. “Lin, that can’t be right. I’m breathing, I’m fine - nothing’s gonna get rid of me that easily.”Linhardt shook his head. “I know what I saw.”// or, Lin sees a brief vision of Caspar dying, and it nearly breaks him. Angst with a happy ending, I promise.
Relationships: Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring
Kudos: 53





	Aftermath

The rain came down hard on the battlefield. Every inch of the scenery was muddy, slippery, and radiated a special kind of miserable energy that could claw its way straight into your chest and settle there, unmoving. Dead soldiers’ bodies were strewn about the place. Caspar did his best to calm his breathing as the last remaining enemy crumpled before him.

In the distance, a horn sounded. Edelgard and Professor Byleth stood at the top of a nearby hill, and as he looked up, Caspar could immediately tell by their poses that the battle had been won, that King Dimitri had been slain. A sharp surge of relief shot through his system; Caspar did his best to ignore the fact that it wasn’t accompanied by the usual post-battle rush of victory. That wasn’t important right then. The fight was over - what mattered was making sure all his friends were alright, that they’d all go home together. He could think about the foreboding feeling looming over him later.

Something moved in his peripheral vision and he looked over to find a figure in green, ambling towards the trees. Caspar’s stomach lurched unpleasantly. Why was Linhardt heading for the forest, instead of the medical tent or any of his allies? Caspar’s feet started to carry him towards his best friend before his mind could catch up.

“Linny?” he called.

Linhardt showed no signs of having heard him. He continued moving towards the trees, slowing down only when he got far enough that the canopy gave some relief from the relentless rain. Caspar made sure to stay close by enough that he wouldn’t startle him. This wasn’t exactly the first time that Linhardt’s distaste for blood and violence had caught up with him in the immediate aftermath of a battle; Caspar was just glad he was close by so he could keep him safe. Once Linhardt finally stopped walking, he gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Lin, it’s me,” he said. “You’re alright. It’s over.”

It took a moment for him to respond. His eyes started to focus as his mind returned to the present and, after letting out a shuddering breath, he responded with a simple: “Caspar?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Caspar stepped in front of Linhardt and rubbed his shoulder soothingly, trying to coax him into meeting his eyes. For some reason, that always seemed to help calm him down.

“There was… It was…”

“I know.”

For a second, Caspar worried that Linhardt was going to throw up. Then Linhardt looked up and all coherent thoughts left Caspar’s head. His eyes… Through all the horrors of war they’d experienced together, Caspar had never seen his friend’s eyes look so horror-struck. It set off a burning feeling in Caspar’s gut, not unlike the kind he got when he thought about the corrupt people they were working to overthrow. Whatever was making Lin feel this way, he was going to find out, and he was going to punch it to death.

“You don’t know,” said Linhardt. “There’s no way you could know.”

“What’s-”

“You were dead.”

There was a beat of silence. “Lin, that can’t be right. I’m breathing, I’m fine - nothing’s gonna get rid of me that easily.”

Linhardt shook his head. “I know what I saw.”

“But you can’t have seen that, because I didn’t die.”

“But you  _ did. _ ”

“Lin-”

“ _ Listen to me, _ Caspar.” Right on command, Caspar closed his mouth and paid attention. Anxiety was gnawing at him. He knew he wasn’t dead, that much wasn’t in question - rather, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was more than a mere stress-induced delusion on Linhardt’s part, even though that was the only explanation he could come up with. Linhardt took a deep breath.

“Do you remember the day the Professor’s hair color changed?” he asked. Caspar nodded. “I asked her about that. She said she’d told the truth in the first place, that she really did have the Goddess’ power inside her. I couldn’t believe it at first, but… She was  _ dead  _ for five years. If Edelgard couldn’t find her, it was because she wasn’t on the face of the planet.”

That didn’t make sense, and yet… “I guess if she really died, that would explain things.”

“Yes. And if she can come back from death itself, her power must be nearly infinite.” Linhardt paused to run a hand through his hair, pulling some of it out of its usual half-bun. “I know this sounds  _ insane,  _ but I’ve had a theory for some time that she can turn back time.”

“But what’s that got to do with-”

“I’m getting there. So if she really can take us back in time, even for just a few minutes, that would let her know about possible deadly attacks. It would also explain how she’s kept the entire Black Eagle Strike Force alive through this chaotic mess of a battle, let alone the rest of the war. Haven’t you noticed that none of us ever come close to death, even when our strategies are so risky the chances of a good outcome are 50-50 at best? She has to have some kind of foresight, it’s the only way. Which means she must surely have seen many moments in which some of us  _ do  _ die, except she would be the only one who remembers them. Only…”

“... Only this time, you somehow got a glimpse into one,” Caspar finished for him. All Linhardt could do was nod, tears welling in his eyes.

“I saw it in a flash, and then the world shifted and you were back on your feet. But for that one moment, you were on the ground in a pool of blood, and I was at your side, and all the magic in my body couldn’t bring you back from the brink.”

Determination set in as Caspar took a half step backwards, never breaking eye contact. He pulled off the armor on his torso and let it clatter to the forest floor. The raindrops that made it through the trees overhead created a strange, hollow backdrop of sound as they ricocheted off the plate mail. Caspar took Linhardt’s hand and pressed it to his own heart. Then he moved closer, resting his forehead against Linhardt’s.

“I’m alive,” he said quietly.

“You’re alive,” Linhardt echoed.

“That vision’s never coming back. No one can take me down. We promised, remember? We’re going to survive this war. No matter what happens, we’re gonna see the new world Edelgard’s creating with our own eyes, and nothing can tear us apart.” Caspar put his free hand on Linhardt’s back, bringing some warmth to his friend’s freezing body. “I’ll never go back on that promise, even if I have to fight all the Knights of Seiros by myself. I swear, Lin.”

“Okay,” said Linhardt softly. He cupped Caspar’s face. “I believe you.”

Linhardt’s hands were cold, but his eyes were warming up, and oh goddess, Caspar couldn’t stand the sight of him on the verge of tears like this. He shuffled a little closer, hoping some of his own warmth could reach his dearest friend and shelter him from the weather, from the world. A tiny little smile appeared on Linhardt’s lips. Caspar’s heart clenched.

“Caspar-”

Something in the rush of feelings pushed Caspar to act on an impulse he realized only then he’d barely been keeping in check. He leaned in and kissed Linhardt, closing his eyes and letting their lips touch ever so carefully. Linhardt tensed for only the briefest of moments. Then his hold on Caspar’s face tightened as he kissed him back.

When they broke apart, Caspar found himself at a loss for words. “I, um,” he began, “I don’t know what, um, I mean that if you don’t-”

“Please stop talking.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

The two of them shared another kiss, sweeter and yet more desperate than the first, each trying to convince themselves that this was real, this was happening. Linhardt’s arms ended up around Caspar’s neck, and Caspar’s hands found their way to the nape of Linhardt’s neck and the small of his back. Caspar tried his best to promise, again and again, that he was alive and well. Linhardt promised the same. Neither of them spoke a word.

When Linhardt’s body gave a sudden shudder, Caspar pulled back and saw that his hands were shaking. Still saying nothing, he grabbed his discarded armor, passed it to Linhardt, and then picked him up.

“You don’t have to carry me,” said Linhardt.

“Want me to put you back down?”

“Absolutely not.”

The two made their way out of the forest in silence, Linhardt resting against Caspar’s chest and Caspar trying to resist the urge to keep checking if Linhardt was alright. As they approached one of the convoy wagons that was sure to have dry clothes ready, Linhardt cleared his throat.

“I suppose I should thank you.”

“Nah, you don’t need to. I’ve told you before, you’re not heavy, I don’t mind carrying you when you get too tired. And anyway, you’re my best friend.” He allowed a small grin. “Though maybe I guess you’re more than that now.”

“Caspar.”

“Linny.”

Linhardt rolled his eyes. “This is still a battlefield. It’s not the place for that kind of talk.”

“Fine, then we’ll talk about it once we’re both dry, and you’ve had your nap. But just so you know, I still mean every word I said. I’m not going anywhere. It’s you and me til the end.”

It seemed, for a heartbeat, that Linhardt had managed to fall asleep in the span of those few sentences. Then Caspar glanced down, and saw that a faint smile graced his lips.

“That sounds good to me, Caspar.”


End file.
